American Museum of Natural History Research Library
author: American Museum of Natural History

Ahnighito (Meteorite); The Tent
Specimen, AMNH 867. The Ahnighito meteorite (also known as the Tent) is one part of several pieces of the Cape York Meteorite that fell into Earth thousands of years ago. The 34-ton mass of iron is on display at the American Museum of History in the Arthur Ross Hall of Meteorites (1). The meteorite is 10 feet 10 inches (length), 7 feet 2 inches (height), 5 feet 6 inches (width). It is composed of iron (91.476%), nickel (7.785%), cobalt (0.533%), copper (0.014%), phosphorus (0.202%) and carbon (0.028%). A trace of chromium was found in the fine oxidized particles from the surface (2, p. 5-6).
Summary
The Ahnighito meteorite is one part of several pieces of the Cape York Meteorite that fell into Earth thousands of years ago. The 200-ton iron meteorite landed in Greenland after breaking into separate pieces: the "The Woman", "The Dog", "The Tent", and "The Savik". Of the heavier masses "The Savik" was found on a peninsula, "The Tent," on a nearbly island, "The Woman" and "The Dog" were found on a second island all on the north coast of Melville Bay, about thirty-five miles east of Cape York (3, p. 523). The Inuit, native to the land, used the iron from the meteorites to craft tools. On May 27, 1894, Inuit Tallakoteah guided Robert E. Peary and expedition member Hugh J. Lee to the Cape York meteorites around "Saviksue" also known as "Iron Mountain" or "Great Irons" outpost at Melville Bay (2, p. 3-4) (4, p. 35).
Peary returned to Melville Bay in 1895 to obtain the meteorites. He successfully loaded the "Woman" and "Dog" on board the ship "Kite", but the crew did not have the means to move Ahnighito on this expedition. Another attempt was made in 1896 without success. Then in 1897, Peary returned to Saviksoah Island, "this time with a one-hundred ton and two thirty-ton jacks and ample supplies of railroad iron and great timbers, dertermined to win at all hazards" (2, p. 4). The meteorite was brought to the Brookyln Navy Yard on the ship "Hope" in the autumn of 1897 (2, p. 5). In 1904, Ahnighito was transported to the Museum using a crane for the first leg of the journey to the foot of Fiftieth Street, North River (Hudson River). It was then loaded onto a massive truck and pulled through the streets by twenty-eight horses "forming the length of an avenue block" (2, p. 5). On October 1, the meteorite arrived at the Museum.
The Ahnighito meteorite was on display at the American Museum of Natural History in the Grand Gallery, formerly called the Main Gallery, and the historic Hayden Planetarium (3, p. 518-519). It currently sits on supports going straight into the bedrock beneath the Arthur Ross Hall of Meteorites.